Shadowing as Qualitative Inquiry: Exploring its Potential and Limitations in Educational Research

The term shadowing is ubiquitously used to describe a variety of research approaches, often without explanation of underlying epistemological assumptions. This paper critiques shadowing in educational research, highlighting qualitative shadowing as a novel method for gathering contextually relevant findings. The paper advances shadowing as a unique qualitative approach by exploring its particularities with reference to the literature and the researcher’s experiences of using the method to observe occupational therapists’ work in ten Australian primary schools. Insights related to accessing the field and ongoing ethical considerations, creating and maintaining the distinct researcher-participant relationship, and the emotional and logistical work involved in shadowing are considered. Findings may support future researchers to understand the advantages and challenges of using qualitative shadowing as a method. By granting researchers entry into the unseen and intimate realms of participants’ professional lives, qualitative shadowing offers a unique way of understanding perspectives, yielding rich data to provide a distinct form of knowledge.